Batter Up! Pivot to Success Inc. hit a home run with the first Dennis Brow Baseball Invitational that began on Friday to a roaring crowd of about 100 people at the Rudy Krieger Ballpark on St. Croix – a first step toward welcoming other Little League teams from outside the U.S. Virgin Islands, said manager for the Junior National Team Denis Lynch.
In an opening ceremony Lynch said, “This is just the beginning – we are going to make this a staple point in the Virgin Islands. We have teams willing to come here from California, New York, and Atlanta, ready to touch down in the Virgin Islands, but we decided to bring it here first for interisland competition.”
Teams participating in the invitational include the Cubs, Archers, Indians, Rebels, Cardinals, and the Diamond Defenders, all teams from both St. Croix and St. Thomas.
The invitational was named in honor of living Virgin Islands legend Dennis Brow who played for the New York Yankees. Lynch said that in a loss last year they had a vision.
“St. Thomas made it very clear to us and that’s why we are here right now at this tournament. We need to address the deficits and gaps with baseball in the community and give the chances and the opportunities to the kids. The man that I am paying homage to right now is very instrumental in terms of pushing things forward in the Virgin Islands,” he said.
Lynch said that Brow gave him the chance to represent the Virgin Islands in the Dominican Republic. “Most times in our culture, we do not tend to step aside and allow the youth to come forward and show their talent. Mr. Brow allowed me to do that and the respect I am giving every child the opportunity to do that as well,” he added.
Brow who was present at the opening ceremony said, “It is a great honor to be here and to be given this privilege.”
“To the youths, we all started right here,” Brow said as he pointed out a few previous Little League players in the crowd who were now adults serving as coaches, umpires, etc.
Brow said, “It is here we developed our skill set. Some of us are going to go far and some of us are going to benefit from this game that we respect so much called baseball. It is not about making it to the major leagues. I went to school on scholarship and played in college baseball and then the Yankees had an opportunity to see me, they liked what I presented and gave me the chance.”
Brow then thanked the coaches and said, “These are the people who dedicate the time, the effort in helping you kids to develop their skills to move to the next level.”
In a departing note, Brow shared, “One thing I have to say to you guys is to respect this game. This game is not a game to take as fun, have respect for it and respect your coaches, fellow players, umpires, and anyone who has contributed to this game. If you want to be good, you must prepare. You must work hard, day in and day out. What you do inside the game will help your ability to improve your skill.”
Games continued into Saturday at 9 a.m. and will continue Sunday at 11 a.m. at the Rudy Krieger Ballpark.
Sponsors for this event include Jolly Rogers, Her Care, IB Designs, Leumes Engineering Group, Plaza Extra East, J&P Construction LLC, Law Offices of Martial Webster, Medical Offices of Dr. Titus, V’Hair Affair LLC, St. Croix Dental, One Love Service Station, Reich LLC, Triple Beam Management and Consulting LLC, and Kai A. Nielsen the Water Smart Schools Grant.
